Crescendo and diminuendo device for organs.



N0. 628,937. Patented July l8, I899. F. W. HEDGELAND.

CBESGENDD AND DIMINUENDO DEVICE FOR ORGANS.

(Application flhd Feb. 12, 1898.)

(No Model.)

M/ITNESSESY IN VEN TOR.

FREDERICK WH EDG'ELAND #m/TTMNEYs.

THE unnms Pans co mruLnuo" WASNINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK \V. IIEDGELAND, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE \V. V. KIMBAIJL COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CRESCENDO AND DIMINUENDO DEVICE FOR ORGAN-S.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 628,937, dated July 18, 1899. Application filed February 12, 1898. Serial No. 670,029. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICKNV. HEDGE- LAND, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Crescendo and Diminuendo Devices for Organs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for obtaining crescendo and diminuendo effects in organs. It has been devised for use with pneumatic stop-actions and is extremely simple and easy of operation.

In the construction of the invention I provide a single controlling device which is itself under the control of the organist at all times and which I prefer to construct in the form of a valve, to the casing of which the motorchannels of the various stops are connected by means of ducts, one for each stop or each group of stops which it is desired to bring into action by the use of the invention. Valves or pneumatic couplers are also employed for rendering these connecting-ducts and the ducts which connect the motor-channels to the valves controlled by the hand-stops of the various actions independent of each other, so either may be used without the other and the stops be operated either by hand or by the use of my invention, as desired. The corn trolling device mentioned is adapted to open and exhaust the conneetingducts in successive order, so that they will come into action in that order, and thus produce a crescendo effect. If a diminuendo effect is desired, the controlling device closes the ducts in succession, thus shutting off the stops or groups of stops one at a time. The movement of the controlling device maybe eitherslow or rapid, according as the organist desires a gradual or a quick crescendo or diminuendo.

The nature of the invention will be better understood from the accompanying drawing, in which I show a section of the invention.

In said drawing, A A represent the motorchannels of different stop-actions.

3 B are ducts connecting channels A to the controlling-valves operated by the draw'stops at the organ-desk and whereby the organist throws the stops of channels A into action in the customary manner. 0 C are other ducts connecting channels A with the controlling device of the present invention.

Any suitable means may be used to control the ducts C; but I have heretofore used a single valve, to the casing of which all said ducts are united, the valve acting simultaneously to shut off the compressed air from the ducts and to open them to the outer air, so they may be exhausted, this operation taking place at the different ducts in succession, one after the other. The simplest and best form of the controlling valve device known to me is illustrated, and consists of the cylinderD, to which the ducts O are joined at different points, as shown, and the valve E, movable through the cylinder and uncovering the ducts C in succession. At one end the cylinder D opens into the com pressed-air box F and at the other end it opens into the outer air, so that when the valve is at one end the ducts are all charged with compressed air (this being its normal position) and when at the other end all the ducts are exhausted, so that the stops are in action.

The valve E is moved by the organist at will through the medium of any suitable mechanisinsuch, for instance, as the rocking levcr G, united to the valve-stem by a link G and actuated by the rod G receiving power from a pedal or other suitable device at the organists desk. As the valve is moved through the cylinder, it uncovers the ducts C one af ter another, and thus brings the stops into action in like order and producing a crescendo of sound. One stop is shown as acting in the drawing, the valve having moved past its duct C. The valve may be moved only part way through the cylinder if it is desired to produce a moderate crescendo by bringing only aportion of the stops into action. To produce the diminuendo effect, the direction of movement of valve E is reversed, so that instead of opening the ducts to the outer air it closes the ducts to the outer air and opens them to the compressed air, this operation be ing also successive and resulting in throwing the stops out of action one after another.

I11 order to render channels B and C independent of each other, I provide the following: II II are valve-boxes, within which the several channels A are brought in to comm unication with their corresponding ducts B and C, and a valve J, of which there is one for each motor-channel, acts to shut off duct 0 when duet B is exhausted and duct B when duct 0 is exhausted. These valves are supported upon stems K, and the latter are attached at their ends to membrane-motors L and M, as shown. The valves have two seats, and one of the valves is clearly shown as closingagainst loss of pressure that one of the ducts B whose correspondingduct (l is shown as having been exhausted by the movement of the valve E. The other valved, which appears in the drawing, is shown in its normal position, neither of its channels B or 6 being exhausted; but if its channel B should now be opened by the organist pulling the stop it will shift its position, so as to close the companion channel 0,

- leaving channel B in communication with metor-channel A. The movements of the valves .l are caused automatically by the membranes L and M. When both the channels 13 and C are charged, the membranes neutralize each other, as seen at the left of the drawings; but it either of said channels is exhausted it causes the membrane adjacent to the exhausted channel to yield to the other membrane,which is still under the influence of the air-pressure.

It will be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the construction shown asto any part of my invention, except where my claims are expressly limited thereto.

I claim- 1. The combination in an organ, with the series of pneumatic stop-actions, of a controlling-valve connected to the various action-channels and operable at will, said valve causing the successive exhaustion or filling of said channels, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with the motor-channels A of a series of pneumatic stop-actions, of a valved device controlling all said chan nels, and connected thereto by ducts C and acting to throw the same into action in successive order, ducts B connecting said channels to the valves operated by the draw-stops, and valves rendering said ducts B and C independent of each other, substantially as specified.

3. The combination in an organ with a series of pneumatic stop-actions, of a single valve operable at will for controlling said actions, individual ducts connecting the several actions to said valve, individual valves in each of such ducts serving in one position to shut oil that portion of the action-channels leading to the draw-stop, and in the other to shut off said controlling-valve, and membrane-motors for operating said individual valves automatically, substantiallyas specified.

a. The combination in an organ with a series of pneumatic stop-actions, of controlling means consisting of a cylinder connected in series to the stop-actions, and a valve movable through the cylinder by the organist, substantially as specified.

5. The combination in an organ with a series of pneumatic stop-actions, of controlling means consisting of a cylinder D open at one end and connected to a compressed-air supply at the other end, and also connected to the aetioircliannels by suitable ducts, and a valve E operable by the organist and. movable through the cylinder and opening or closing said ducts, substantially as specified.

6. The combination in an organ, with a series of stop-actions of a controlling-cylinder connected with the motor-channels of the actions by ducts opening into the cylinder at different points in its length, and a valve movable through the cylinder by the organist and acting to cause the exhausting or filling of the channels in successive order, substantially as specified.

'7. The combination with a series of action motor-channels A,of the cylinder D, the ducts connecting said channels with the cylinder entering the latter at diiTerent points in its length, and the valve operable by the organist and acting to control said connecting-ducts, substantially as specified.

S. The combination with the action 1notorchannels A, of the cylinder D, the ducts 0 connecting the channels A with said cylinder, the ducts l3 controlled by the draw-stops, the valves J and the valve E working in said cylinder and actuated by the organist, substantially as specified.

fl. The combination with the action 1notorchannels, of the cylinder l) and its valve for producing crescendo and diminuendo effects, the ordinary draw-stops for throwing the steps into action independently of said cylinder, and valves J controlling the air connections with said cylinder and said draw-stops, substantially as specified.

FREDERICK XV. HEDGELAND.

Witnesses:

Enw. S. Evxnrs, IT. M. Mvxnxv. 

